With the new cat containment laws introduced and extended across the ACT. Here are some puurfect tips to help keep your four legged friend pawsitively happy and content at home.
- Peek-a-boo!:
Cats like to whisker themselves away into hiding places during their downtime. They mix it up between bright and sunny windows and dark corners, wardrobes and under the bed. Cats are also very fond of spying on the neighbourhood from an elevated spot too.
Hiding places can be as simple as a cardboard box, a big fluffy cat bed or igloo or one of your drawers of clothing. Cat trees are also a wonderful resting place for your cat, and they serve multiple purposes (see point 5 below)
- Make food fun:
You can make your cat’s contained life so much more enjoyable by giving them separate food areas so they can explore their home and sniff out their food sources.
Even better, consider giving your cat a puzzle feeder or food ball to play with their food to entertain themselves during the day. Kong have an amazing selection of enrichment toys that you can fill up with treats. Your cat must play with the toy to release their delicious snacks.
- Let it flow:
Cats love drinking from running water so consider a water fountain designed for pets. Your cat will now have fresh running water and you’ve provided enrichment for them.
- Poops, I did it again:
It’s important to help your cat feel comfortable when they need to toilet. Negative experiences with their litter can lead to your cat feeling stressed and anxious. You don’t want your cat to avoid using their litter tray and relieving themselves in other not so favourable areas of your house.
Cats like to comfortably dig. We advise that you fill the litter tray with litter to a depth of 6cm. Ensure your litter tray is large enough for kitty to dig comfortably and turn around. As a guide you want a litter tray at least 1.5 times the length of your cat. Also give your cat multiple litter trays in different areas.
- Scratch, rattle and meow:
Cats love and need to scratch. Not only does it help spread their scent, which makes them feel at home, it also helps keep their claws healthy. Providing a variety of horizontal and vertical scratching posts in different rooms and areas with different textured surfaces will keep them happy and reduce the chances of your carpets and furniture suffering.
Cat trees are fantastic furniture pieces for cats, they provide elevated resting places, scratching areas. Most large trees have fluffy toys, ropes and balls hanging off them which encourage cats to engage in their natural, stalking chasing and pouncing behaviours.
For a comprehensive list of helpful tips on how to safely contain your cat at home see the website below.
https://safeandhappycats.com.au/
For all the latest RSPCA ACT news, visit www.rspca-act.org.au or follow RSPCA ACT on Facebook and Twitter.
For more information or images please contact:
Brendan Arnold, RSPCA ACT
Email: barnold@rspca-act.org.au
Phone: 02 6287 8131